Gary Franks: Trump and Vince Carter – Congress and the Yankees

Sports and politics — the good, the bad and the ugly.

First, the good. There was a contest in 2000 that decades before Julius Erving and Michael Jordan made into “must watch TV”; it was the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest. The victor that year, Vince Carter, practically coined the phrase “it’s over” and made a recognizable gesture after an incredible slam dunk. It was meant to say to everyone who was viewing the contest that with his spectacular dunk, “it was over.” There was no need to have anyone else even attempt to surpass what he had just done.

Well, President Donald Trump has had that kind of moment on the world stage with the release of the 20 Israeli hostages, a ceasefire in Gaza, and steps agreed upon to give a perennially war-torn area a chance of long-term peace. Granted there is a lot yet to be done, but the progress to date and the way it has been derived is historic. Over 20 nations have committed to working toward a lasting peace in the region. It is essential that Israel and Hamas work to make it a lasting peace, however, with the support of all the countries that signed the peace agreement.

So, as Carter once told the NBA Slam Dunk judges and general audience, the winner was clearly him. Trump, after the achievement mentioned above, could tell the Nobel Prize committee that the 2026 winner of the prestigious award should be printed today with the name, Donald J. Trump.

However, Trump should be wary of the war in Ukraine with Russia. Allowing Ukraine to bomb the interior of Russia and its capital, Moscow, should be thoroughly thought out.

U.S. tomahawk missiles may soon be going to Ukraine in an effort to “bring about peace.” Let us recall when the Soviet Union gave missiles to Cuba in the 1960s. The U.S. was prepared to counter these actions, not just in Cuba where the missiles could be launched from but also against the Soviet Union who supplied the missiles. Does anyone see anything to be concerned with here?

Continuing with sports as our theme, today we have “the bad and the ugly.”

What do the New York Yankees and Congress have in common? They are full of promises but fail to deliver. They spend like drunken sailors and then just make things worse. Members of Congress get paid even though they fail to do their jobs, and without penalty. They should get fined for failing to produce a budget and paying our bills on time – period. Every family in America and every U.S. state has to do just that, but 535 members of the House and Senate are somehow exempt. That is truly ridiculous. America suffers and they live on like nothing happened.

Heck, they will not even show up in D.C. to carry out their jobs, and there is nothing the people, their employers, can do about it. It is so wrong. Give them a financial penalty equal to 25% of their adjusted gross income and they will surely jump back into action. And we will likely never see another government shutdown again. Trust me. “We the people” must make them work. State legislatures can begin the constitutional amendment process to make a “financial fine” the law of the land. I believe every state would agree that there should be some punishment for failure.

And that takes me back to the New York Yankees. They have one of the most expensive rosters, four players who were MVPs (Aaron Judge twice). They possibly have more players whose years of being All-Stars would be unmatched by any team in baseball. And they have a player, Aaron Judge, who could go down as one of the best in the history of the game. Yet they cannot win. So, what to do? The blame must go to the people who put the team together as well as the person who manages it. They should step down willingly or be fired.

Like members of Congress who have only to hear from the people once every 24 months, six years for the Senate, many are not fazed by failure. The Yankees will draw huge crowds and television revenue year after year, despite not winning a title. Both bring great frustration. Baseball, however, is only a game. Congress would be the board of directors of the U.S. government and can determine the fate of our democracy and lives of all Americans to a certain degree.

Almost finishing your job does not count. Please. The fact you “almost finished” doing the appropriation/spending bills or “almost won” the World Series does not explain away 25 consecutive years of not completing your spending bills and budget on time or failing to win a World Series in 16 years.

If the people do not demand change, we will be left complaining year after year, while we get the same dismal results.

So, there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly.

When it comes to kicking the ball down the road, no group of people do it better than Congress. And when it comes to doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result, the New York Yankees hold that title.

I criticize Congress, but love the institution where I served for three terms. I criticize the Yankees, but have loved the team from before George Steinbrenner Sr. was at the helm. But both need a kick in the derriere to give “We the People” what we expect and deserve – success and good governance, respectively.

We should give high praise to Trump for his Middle East success. As a basketball player who once upon a time had a very good vertical leap, when it comes to slam dunks, they make everyone smile and appreciate you. He also has 11 more months to see if he can surpass what he has already done (maybe with Ukraine-Russia). Regardless, to date it would be extremely difficult to see anyone surpassing his monumental achievement.

But even the untouched running back who carelessly drops the ball before crossing into the end zone is proof that you must continue to be diligent or you don’t score.

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Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut's 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. Host: Podcast "We Speak Frankly." garyfranksphilanthropy.org.